


Good Morning, Harvey. I'm Never Coming Back.

by Abnormal_Cleric



Series: Never Coming Back [2]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Cheating, Domestic Fluff, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 17:28:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28889115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abnormal_Cleric/pseuds/Abnormal_Cleric
Summary: If he played it right, he could be home before Jonathan noticed he was gone.
Relationships: Harvey Dent/Edward Nygma, Jonathan Crane/Edward Nygma
Series: Never Coming Back [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2118612
Comments: 3
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

He was used to waking up alone, but not like this. He wasn’t used to waking up alone in an asymmetrical apartment that was perfectly split in half by the rising sun through the window. That’s not to say he wasn’t used to waking up here, only that he usually got up before Harvey did.

A half-chuckle scraped his throat when he noticed he was on the clean side of the room. His throat. His head. Shit. What happened?

His shirt, pants, and vest were on the floor. That alone told him more about last night than the headache did. He usually had enough time to hang them on a chair so they wouldn’t wrinkle. His jacket and hat were at the front door. He knew that much.

Edward dressed and slipped into the kitchen, hoping to kiss Harvey goodbye and leave without a fight. If he played it right, he could be home before Jonathan noticed he was gone.

“Morning. You’re cute when you’re asleep.” Harvey Dent was at the stove with a glass of water and a half-smile, which he tucked into Ed’s hand and the crook of his neck respectively.

He tried to smile back. He should get home. The water was sweet and smooth, like the night Edward had first fallen for Harvey Dent’s charm and warped humor. What a romantic fool he had been. Still was. Would forever be.

A hand slid around his waist and Harvey dropped his voice to a whisper. “What time did you tell him you’d be home?”

Edward didn’t try to pull away. He didn’t lean into it, but he didn’t lean out of it either. Harvey was a cruel man. They both knew Jonathan didn’t expect him to come home at all. They also both knew The Riddler always does what people expect. Not this time. “Sorry… I can’t stay. You’re sweet, really, but I have to-”

“You don’t ‘have to’ nothin. I ain’t gonna let some punk half-ass a relationship with you. You. Deserve. Better.” Harvey kissed the open collar of Edward’s shirt and pulled him closer.

He did deserve better. He deserved a lot better than the Scarecrow. He leaned into Harvey’s arms and closed his eyes. “Like what? What could be better than living with Doctor Jonathan Crane, psychology professor, inventor of Fear Gas, chemist extraordinaire?”

Harvey’s other hand found Edward’s hip and he moved his mouth up to the base of Edward’s ear. “Living with Harvey Dent, prosecuting attorney, who cherishes you and makes sweet love to you at the drop of a hat. Come on, Eddie… you don’t love him. You don’t even like him. He’s a skinny little nerd who thinks he’s all that. Just a dweeb in a mask. Thinks he’s clever. Thinks being smarter’n everybody else means he can get away with shit. Don’t own a square foot in this town. Shouldn’t play with fire and expect your IQ will protect you. Shouldn’t piss off guys who are bigger’n you, Eddie.”

Shit. Edward tried to break Two-Face’s grip, but it was true. He was just a skinny little nerd. Two-Face was four inches taller and strong enough to crush a man’s windpipe with his bare hands. “Harvey…”

“Shaddup.” Two-Face held Edward’s hand tight enough to hear the bones grind against each other and feel the palm warp out of shape. “Damn the Scarecrow. You’re  _ my _ bitch and I ain’t ready to let you run home just yet.”

He had known it was true. He had known all the sweet talk and easy conversation had been a trap. He had known and he had walked right into it. Edward Nigma was the biggest fool in the world. Maybe Jonathan was right. Maybe he should have tried to fix the frying pan before jumping into the fire.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward locked the door behind himself before he even turned to see if he was alone. “Jonathan?”

“You’re home late.” Jonathan Crane took a sip from the wineglass next to his arrangement of vials and loose paper. He didn’t look up to from his work. His glasses were too big for his face and his hands looked like spiders tripping and creeping across his notes. His eyes were sunken and hollow, more tired than despondent. He crossed out an equation and set his pen on the table with a click. “I was starting to think I’d have to sleep alone again.”

Edward removed his jacket and hat and hung them next to Jonathan’s coat. He took a breath before looking at him again. He knew his shirt collar didn’t cover the hickies, but it would be more suspicious to keep his jacket on. Not to mention impolite. “How long have you been sitting there?”

Jonathan looked up and his eyes searched Edward’s soul for a second. “What does he do to you?”

The question almost caught the Riddler off guard. Almost. “I don’t cost a cent, but I’m worth everything. I weigh less than air but last a lifetime. I can’t be bought or owned by one, but I can be shared, given, or stolen with a glance.”

It only took him a moment. “No. Edward, he doesn’t love you. If he loved you, you wouldn’t come home at six, glancing over your shoulder like a hunted animal. You’re afraid of him. Why?”

“Why do you care?” He wasn’t in the mood to play Scarecrow’s game. “You have no right to control my life if you don’t want to be part of it.”

Jonathan stood and gripped the back of his chair with bone-white knuckles. His thin lips were pressed together, holding back a lifetime of watching people get hurt. All he let out was a sigh. “Damn it, Ed… I don’t care anymore. Get your shit out of my apartment and leave. Go live with whoever did that to you.”


End file.
